The present invention relates to brake pedal apparatuses for automotive vehicles and more particularly to an improvement over the brake pedal apparatus for an automotive vehicle.
In recent years, various improvement work has been undertaken to provide a brake pedal apparatus, one typical example of which is disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Provisional Publication No. 6-1113. In such a brake pedal apparatus, a pedal bracket, which pivotally supports an upper portion of a pedal arm, is fixedly connected to a dash floor panel and a lower portion of a dash upper panel connected to the dash floor panel and protruding into a vehicle compartment, with depression of the pedal arm allowing a push rod, which is connected to an upper portion of the pedal arm, to move forward to render a master vac. operative.
In a structure of the brake pedal of the related art, in the event the master vac. or the dash floor panel, to which the master vac. is fixed, are deformed and moved rearward in the vehicle compartment during a frontal collision of the vehicle, the pedal arm encounters a rotational motion in a direction opposite to a depressing direction of the pedal arm via the push rod of the master vac., with a depressive position of the brake pedal being dislocated from its usual position to an undesired uncomfortable position to provide a differential feeling touch to a vehicle driver.
The present invention has been made in view of the above-described inadequacies of the related art and has an object to provide a brake pedal apparatus for an automotive vehicle wherein a pedal arm is prevented from being subjected to impact load through a push rod of a master vac. during a frontal collision of the automotive vehicle for thereby avoiding a differential feeling touch to be given to a vehicle driver.
It is another object of the present invention to provide
It is another object of the present invention to provide a brake pedal apparatus for an automotive vehicle which can provide an improved assembling work efficiency by ensuring a slide plate and a pivot bracket to be held in engagement with one another to provide an ease of transfer of the brake pedal assembly prior to assembling step thereof to the automotive vehicle.
According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a brake pedal apparatus for an automotive vehicle having a dash floor panel and a vehicular body structural member, which comprises a pedal bracket fixedly secured to a dash floor panel and at a coupling position to a lower wall portion of a vehicular body structural member and carrying thereon a pivot shaft, a pivot bracket pivotally supported on the pivot shaft and having a pedal shaft, a pedal arm pivotally supported on the pedal shaft, a slide plate held in slidable engagement with the pedal bracket, and an impact absorbing section located between the coupling position and the pivot shaft to permit a relative movement of at least the pivot shaft and the lower wall portion of the vehicular body structural member in a fore and aft direction of an automotive vehicle for thereby absorbing an impact energy when the pedal bracket encounters an impact force exerted rearward in a vehicle compartment at a level beyond a given load such that when the pivot shaft and the coupling position are moved in a contracted condition relative to one another, the pivot bracket disengages from the slide plate to allow the pivot bracket to rotate counterclockwise about the center of the pivot shaft.
According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a brake pedal apparatus for an automotive vehicle having a dash floor panel and a vehicular body structural member, which comprises a pedal bracket fixedly secured to a dash floor panel and at a coupling position to a lower wall portion of a vehicular body structural member and carrying thereon a pivot shaft, a pivot bracket pivotally supported on the pivot shaft and having a pedal shaft, a pedal arm pivotally supported on the pedal shaft, a slide plate held in slidable engagement with the pedal bracket, and an impact absorbing section located between the coupling position and the pivot shaft to permit a relative movement of at least the pivot shaft and the lower wall portion of the vehicular body structural member in a fore and aft direction of an automotive vehicle for thereby absorbing an impact energy when the pedal bracket encounters an impact force exerted rearward in a vehicle compartment at a level beyond a given load such that when the pivot shaft and the coupling position are moved in a contracted condition relative to one another, the pivot bracket disengages from the slide plate to allow the pivot bracket to rotate counterclockwise about the center of the pivot shaft. A releasable connecting section is located for coupling at least the slide plate and the pivot bracket to one another and operative to release a coupling state between the slide plate and the pivot bracket when the pedal bracket encounters the impact force exerted rearward at the level beyond the given load.
With such a structure, the presence of the slide plate arranged to restrict a pivotal movement of the pivot bracket in a normal condition of the vehicle allows a pedal arm to rotate about a center of a pedal shaft to enable a master vac. to be performed in a normal operation via a push rod coupled to the pedal arm.
During a frontal collision of the vehicle, the shock absorbing section functions to allow the coupling position, between the slide plate and the lower wall portion of the vehicular body structural member, to be retracted relative to the pivot shaft to cause the pivot bracket to disengage from the slide plate for thereby allowing the pivot bracket to pivotally rotate in the counterclockwise direction about the center of the pivot shaft such that the depressing position of the pedal arm is retracted in the forward direction of the vehicle. Consequently, even when the master vac. is moved in the rearward direction of the vehicle or even when the dash floor panel is deformed toward the vehicle compartment to move the push rod of the master vac. in the same direction, it is possible to avoid the depressing position of the pedal arm from dislocating rearward to suffer a differential feeling touch to be given to a vehicle driver.
Further, the presence of the releasable connecting section which couples the pedal bracket and the slide plate to one another and whish is operative to to release the coupling state between the pedal bracket and the slide bracket responsive to the impact force exerted to the pedal bracket rearward in the vehicle at the given load exceeding the given load renders the slide plate and the pedal bracket to be held stationary to restrict the same from moving relative to one another under the condition below the given load. Thus, it is possible for the slide plate and the pivot bracket to be held in engagement with one another during an assembling step or a transferring step of the associated component parts.
According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a brake pedal apparatus for an automotive vehicle having a dash floor panel and a vehicular body structural member, which comprises a pedal bracket fixedly secured to a dash floor panel and at a coupling position to a lower wall portion of a vehicular body structural member and carrying thereon a pivot shaft, a pivot bracket pivotally supported on the pivot shaft and having a pedal shaft a pedal arm pivotally supported on the pedal shaft, a slide plate held in slidable engagement with the pedal bracket, and an impact absorbing section located between the coupling position and the pivot shaft to permit a relative movement of at least the pivot shaft and the lower wall portion of the vehicular body structural member in a fore and aft direction of an automotive vehicle for thereby absorbing an impact energy when the pedal bracket encounters an impact force exerted rearward in a vehicle compartment at a level beyond a given load such that when the pivot shaft and the coupling position are moved in a contracted condition relative to one another, the pivot bracket disengages from the slide plate to allow the pivot bracket to rotate counterclockwise about the center of the pivot shaft. A restrictor section is located at the coupling point for engaging with a part of the pivot bracket to restrict a pivotal movement thereof in a counterclockwise direction under a condition where the pedal bracket remains in a normal position relative to the vehicular body structural member, the restrictor section being operative to move with the vehicular body structural member relative to the part of the pivot bracket when the pedal bracket encounters the impact force exceeding the given load exerted in the rearward direction of the automotive vehicle.
With such a structure, the presence of the restrictor section, which restricts the pivotal movement of the pivot bracket in engagement with the slide plate during a normal cruising state of the vehicle, allows the pedal arm to rotate about the center of the pedal shaft to cause a master vac. to be performed in a normal operation via a push rod coupled to the pedal arm.
During a frontal collision of the vehicle, the shock absorbing section functions to allow the coupling position, between the slide plate and the lower wall portion of the vehicular body structural member, to be retracted relative to the pivot shaft to cause the pivot bracket to disengage from the slide plate for thereby allowing the pivot bracket to pivotally rotate in the counterclockwise direction about the center of the pivot shaft such that the depressing position of the pedal arm is retracted in the forward direction of the vehicle. Consequently, even when the master vac. is moved in the rearward direction of the vehicle or even when the dash floor panel is deformed toward the vehicle compartment to move the push rod of the master vac. in the same direction, it is possible to avoid the depressing position of the pedal arm from dislocating rearward to suffer a differential feeling touch to be given to a vehicle driver.
Further, the presence of the restrictor section allows the part of the pivot bracket to be engageable with the coupling fixture member, which forms the restrictor section, for preventing the pivot bracket from rotating in the counterclockwise direction about the center of the pivot shaft to minimize the amount of variation in the depressing position of the pedal to alleviate a differential feeling touch to be given to a vehicle driver. Further, when the pedal arm encounters the impact force beyond the given load in the rearward direction of the vehicle, the restrictor section is shifted with the vehicular body structural member relative to the pivot shaft, thereby avoiding the pivot bracket from being disturbed for its pivotal movement.
According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a brake pedal apparatus for an automotive vehicle having a dash floor panel and a vehicular body structural member, which comprises a pedal bracket fixedly secured to a dash floor panel and at a coupling-position to a lower wall portion of a vehicular body structural member and carrying thereon a pivot shaft, a pivot bracket pivotally supported on the pivot shaft and having a pedal shaft, a pedal arm pivotally supported on the pedal shaft, a slide plate held in slidable engagement with the pedal bracket, and impact absorbing means allowing at least the pivot shaft and the lower wall portion of the vehicular body structural member to move relative to one another in a fore and aft direction of an automotive vehicle for thereby absorbing an impact energy when the pedal bracket encounters an impact force exerted rearward in a vehicle compartment at a level beyond a given load such that when the pivot shaft and the coupling position are moved in a contracted condition relative to one another, the pivot bracket disengages from the slide plate to allow the pivot bracket to rotate counterclockwise about the center of the pivot shaft.
According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a brake pedal apparatus for an automotive vehicle having a dash floor panel and a vehicular body structural member, which comprises a pedal bracket fixedly secured to a dash floor panel and at a coupling position to a lower wall portion of a vehicular body structural member and carrying thereon a pivot shaft, a pivot bracket pivotally supported on the pivot shaft and having a pedal shaft, a pedal arm pivotally supported on the pedal shaft, a slide plate held in slidable engagement with the pedal bracket, impact absorbing allowing at least the pivot shaft and the lower wall portion of the vehicular body structural member to move relative to one another in a fore and aft direction of an automotive vehicle for thereby absorbing an impact energy when the pedal bracket encounters an impact force exerted rearward in a vehicle compartment at a level beyond a given load such that when the pivot shaft and the coupling position are moved in a contracted condition relative to one another, the pivot bracket disengages from the slide plate to allow the pivot bracket to rotate counterclockwise about the center of the pivot shaft, and releasable connecting means coupling at least the slide plate and the pedal bracket to one another and operative to release a coupling state between the slide plate and the pedal bracket when the pedal bracket encounters the impact force exerted rearward at the level beyond the given load.
According to a sixth preferred embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a brake pedal apparatus for an automotive vehicle having a dash floor panel and a vehicular body structural member, which comprises a pedal bracket fixedly secured to a dash floor panel and at a coupling position to a lower wall portion of a vehicular body structural member and carrying thereon a pivot shaft, a pivot bracket pivotally supported on the pivot shaft and having a pedal shaft, a pedal arm pivotally supported on the pedal shaft, a slide plate held in slidable engagement with the pedal bracket, impact absorbing means allowing at least the pivot shaft and the lower wall portion of the vehicular body structural member to move relative to one another in a fore and aft direction of an automotive vehicle for thereby absorbing an impact energy when the pedal bracket encounters an impact force exerted rearward in a vehicle compartment at a level beyond a given load such that when the pivot shaft and the coupling position are moved in a contracted condition relative to one another, the pivot bracket disengages from the slide plate to allow the pivot bracket to rotate counterclockwise about the center of the pivot shaft, and restrictor means restricting a pivotal movement thereof in a counterclockwise direction under a condition where the pedal bracket remains in a normal position relative to the vehicular body structural member, the restrictor section being operative to move with the vehicular body structural member relative to the part of the pivot bracket when the pedal bracket encounters the impact force exceeding the given load exerted in the rearward direction of the automotive vehicle.
Other and further features, advantages, and benefits of the present invention will become more apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the following drawings.